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Q – U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Russian-American Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Nuclear Missiles (INF). How do you assess this declaration? What consequences might this decision have?

A – President Macron reminded President Trump of the importance France ascribes to this treaty, in particular for European security and our strategic stability.

France attributes great importance to conventional and nuclear arms control instruments. The Allies’ concern over the very likely Russian violation and the lack of transparency on Russia’s implementation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was reaffirmed at the NATO summit this past July. We are in close contact with our close partners concerning the American announcement of their withdrawal from the treaty. U.S.-Russian consultations took place again this week. We call on all the parties to avoid any hasty unilateral decisions, which would be regrettable.